


What's in a name

by FelidArachnid



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Family, Friendship, Slice of Life, Storytelling, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 15:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16478291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelidArachnid/pseuds/FelidArachnid
Summary: David takes an interest in name etymology, and things descend into fighting and eventually, storytime. (contains OCs, no ships)





	What's in a name

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I wrote maybe six or seven years ago for my good friend at beansterpie.tumblr.com <3 She reminded me of it the other day and I managed to dig it up from old internet archives and thought it was super cute so I tweaked it a little and reuploaded it for the both of us. I think it's also the first time I wrote with our OCs Helle (mine) and Chike (hers). Anyway it makes me very happy and I hope you enjoy it.

"Hey…hey, Chike."

Chike glanced up lazily from lounging on the couch, her dark hair falling into her face. Her eyes narrowed as they alighted on David, sitting cross-legged in an enormous plush armchair beside the floor-to-ceiling bookcase of the living room. "What?" she asked suspiciously.

He held the book he was reading at arm's length and squinted for a moment. "Have you ever heard of…'Igbo'?"

There was a silence, filled only by a prim slurping as Helle sipped her tea at the other end of Chike's sofa, immersed in the evening paper. A heavy wooden grandfather clock ticked peacefully in one corner, the swinging golden pendulum flashing occasionally in the warm glow cast by the cut-glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Then Chike sat up straighter. "What the fuck are you talking about, David?"

Jabbing a finger at the book, he grinned suddenly. "It says that your name is an 'Igbo' name."

"Ig what?" Even Helle had lowered her paper, one eyebrow raised sardonically. "What on earth are you reading?"

He waved the book in the air. "Something about where people's names come from. Did you know, the name 'John' comes from Hebrew? Isn't that weird?"

"David, how bored are you?" enquired Helle coldly, raising the paper once more to obscure him from view. As she spoke she drew her stockinged legs up onto the sofa and tucked them underneath her large russet skirt.

"Very," he grunted in reply. "But anyway, Chike, it says here your name comes from somewhere in Africa. The…Igbo tribe."

"Really?" said Chike in surprise, scratching her head distractedly. "Where's that?"

"How am I supposed to know?" he retorted, flicking a few pages in disinterest. "But the name means 'power of God'." He paused, and then snorted with laughter. "Pfft! How stupid is that?"

Jasdero was sitting on the floor beside David's chair, methodically tearing pages out of books and folding them into little boats. A veritable naval fleet was already littered around him in varying sizes. "Hee hee hee! That's funny, Debi! That's so stupid!"

"Shut up!" snapped Chike, picking a velvet cushion up and throwing at the twins as hard as she could. It hit David square in the face, causing him to yelp furiously and drop the book on Jasdero's head, who promptly squealed in surprise.

"Power of God?" said Helle. "Why is that stupid? It's appropriate, isn't it?" She turned a page in the paper, stifling a yawn. "Chike is a Noah, after all."

"Yeah, but it's just so…stupid," giggled David. "Chike? A god?"

"Got a problem with that?" she retorted angrily, getting to her feet and storming over to read the book over his shoulder.

He dodged her raised fist and shrugged. "Also, it says here that it's usually a boy's name."

Jasdero laughed even harder at that and crushed a boat in one fist, grinding the paper against the carpet. "Ha ha ha! Chike's a boy! Chike's a boy!"

"Am not!" she yelled, pulling David's cushion out from underneath him so hard that he fell onto the floor, and whacking Jasdero around the skull with it. Instantly Jasdero began wailing at the top of his lungs and rolled onto his back to bat frantically at the pillow as Chike began to beat him mercilessly. David scrambled to his feet and leaped back into his chair, where he began pulling books off the shelf behind, chucking them at Chike. They bounced off her head and she yelped furiously, throwing the cushion aside and pulling Jasdero into a ferocious headlock.

"Nyaaahhhh!" he squealed, scrabbling fruitlessly at her arms and kicking his legs as he gradually turned purple.

David raised his latest weapon, a particularly large and heavy encyclopaedia, and spoke viciously to Chike. "Drop him."

"Drop the book first," she countered, wincing as Jasdero kicked her in the shins.

"You first!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"Aaaahhhhhh!" shrieked Jasdero, more to get attention than anything else.

"Would you all just _shut up_?" David and Chike dragged their eyes off each other to find Helle standing before them, newspaper crunched in one fist and expression livid.

All three immediately fell silent.

Helle spoke through gritted teeth, her yellow eyes flashing dangerously. "I. Am. Trying. To. _Read_." She dropped the crumpled paper to the floor and pointed from Chike to David. "I would appreciate some _quiet_. You. Drop him. And _you_. Drop the book."

After a long pause, Chike and David both shook their heads and pointed at each other.

"Her first," said David.

"No, _him_ first," she growled.

"Bleaaghhh," said Jasdero, crossing his eyes over Chike's forearm, still wrapped firmly around his neck.

Folding her arms, Helle raised one eyebrow and tapped her foot. "I'm waiting."

Very slowly, David lowered the encyclopaedia once more. He scowled at Chike. "Let him go."

"Put the book down," Chike snapped back, tightening her grip. Jasdero wails increased in pitch and volume and he flailed his arms like a stranded crab.

"For god's sake, Jasdero!" Helle snarled, pressing a hand to her forehead. She bent down and very firmly pulled Chike's arm off, ignoring her protests. Free from her grip, Jasdero slithered limply to the floor and lay there, wrinkling his nose at Helle. "Helle's sca- _ree_ , hee."

"Now drop the book before I make you, David," she snapped, releasing Chike's wrist and placing her hands on her hips. He stuck his tongue out at her and slumped back into his seat, hugging the enormous book to his chest. "No."

"Oh, you - " Helle took a step forward, and then cursed, hoisting her skirts above her ankles and glowering down at Jasdero's crushed handiwork underneath her feet. With a cry of dismay Jasdero flung himself forwards and scrabbled desperately at her ankles with his painted fingernails. "No, no! Helle, you're steppin' on my boaties, hee!"

"For goodness’ sake!" she hissed, bending down and pulling one boat from her heel. "Look at what you've done, Jasdero!" she tutted, unfolding the boat and examining the paper. "Completely ruined these books…"

"Ha, no one reads them anyway," snorted David, tearing the contents page from the encyclopaedia and folding it into a paper airplane. He flicked it at Chike, who caught it expertly in one hand and screwed it up crossly, shooting him an angry glare.

"You were reading earlier," pointed out Helle, retrieving her newspaper from the floor and stalking back to the couch. "A book which no one else can read now, thanks to Jasdero."

"Nuh uh," insisted David, dropping the encyclopaedia on Chike's foot - she howled in pain and punched him in the arm. "See, it's still here," he said, waving the book in the air. "Hey, let's find your name."

Helle fixed him with a cold, unimpressed look as he began flicking through it. Chike flopped into a sitting position beside Jasdero on the floor and watched him carefully fold yet another book page between finger and thumb. He held it up. "I made you a birdie, hee."

"Thanks, Jasdero," she said doubtfully, taking it and turning it upside-down to see if it looked any more avian that way.

"Hold on, hold on…" David was still turning pages, tongue between his teeth.

There was a pause, and then Chike glanced up at him. "Uh, David."

"What?"

"You're holding the book upside down."

After a very long silence, he slowly turned it around. He glared around at them all, teeth bared, as if daring them to comment.

Chike merely rolled her eyes, grinning despite herself but Helle sniffed in a superior manner. "You're an idiot," and she folded the paper in half to scrutinize the business section.

Finally reading the book properly, David resumed his page-turning, mouthing the alphabet under his breath as he browsed the names. He frowned and then said, "hey guys? Does 'G' come first in the alphabet, or 'H'?"

"H" said Helle and Chike at the same time. They caught one another’s eye and glanced quickly away once more, trying not to smile.

It took David several seconds to realise that he'd been tricked, and when he did, he glared up at the girls with narrowed eyes. "Fuck you."

"So what does my name mean then, David?" asked Helle caustically. "Do enlighten us, why don't you?"

Poor David missed the sarcasm and lowered the book triumphantly. "You'll never guess."

"Does it mean…'fish'?" asked Jasdero, putting a boat on his head.

Everyone looked at him.

"…Flying fish," he added. "…evil chilli flying fish. Evil chilli flying fish with - "

"Jasdero," said Chike. "Stop talking."

"M'kay."

"'Helle'," read out David. "Duh…Dee…Derived from Ancient Greek mythology…Daughter of Athamas and Nephele, sister - "

" - of Phryxus," finished Helle in a bored voice. "Drowned in the Aegean Sea, yes, thanks David."

His face fell, and he lowered the book. "You know?"

"Uh, yes," she said condescendingly, curling her lip. "Don't you read Greek mythology?"

He snorted. “I’d rather blow my brains out."

"Oh yes, I forgot that's how you and Jasdero spend your weekends," she replied snippily, earning herself an obscene middle finger from David.

Chike meanwhile was on her feet once more and running a finger along the spines of the books that were sitting, gathering dust on the shelves. "I remember seeing a book of Greek stuff somewhere here…Wait, this might be it." She pulled a book out and held it at arm's length, squinting at the peculiar script that adorned its leather-bound cover. "Uh…maybe not. Hm."

David knelt up in his seat and plucked it from her hands to try and decipher the title's meaning. "What the hell is this? Code? Or some sort of stupid gibberish?"

"Let me see," sighed Helle, getting up and wandering over, holding one hand out. Reluctantly David handed her the book, sticking his bottom lip out sulkily. Helle took one look at the cover, and then shot David an especially poisonous glower. "This isn't _gibberish_ , you freak, it's _Greek_. My _mother tongue_."

"My mum had a tongue too, but you don't see me boasting about it," he replied nastily.

"Mother tongue, you brainless git, means a person's first language," snapped Helle. "I'm _Greek_ , you stupid."

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"And Chike, you were right. This is a book on mythology," Helle added, flicking through it. "I think the Earl bought me this last year as a present. See, here's the one on Phyrxsus and Helle."

"Read it!" cried Jasdero eagerly, sitting up and sending the pile of tiny boats he had constructed on his head cascading to the floor. "Read it! Read it, read it, readitreaditreaditreaditread - "

"All _right_!" She blew out an irritated breath between clenched teeth and motioned for David to move out of the velvet armchair. He folded his arms huffily and shook his head. "This is _my_ seat."

"Okay then," she said, turning away and shrugging, the book dangling from one hand. "I just won't read the story."

David's cutting reply was cut off by a wail of dismay from Jasdero, who began tugging placatingly at her skirts. "No! Noooooooo! Story, story, story! Dero wants a stoorreeeeeee!"

A triumphant smile crept onto Helle's lips and she turned back to David, clearing her throat significantly.

"Ugh…" With an enormous, disgusted sigh he slid onto the floor and sat there, crossing his legs and arms and descending into a massive sulk. "I hate you."

"And I hate you too," she replied cheerfully, settling herself down with a rustle of skirts. "So everyone's happy." Ignoring David's furious muttering she began leafing through the worn old novel, examining the Greek text. With a delighted squeal Jasdero flung himself onto the carpet, legs waving happily in the air above his head, propping his head up in his hands. Chike sighed and settled herself cross-legged beside him, picking a boat up and making it float aimlessly through the air, assuming a rather bored expression. David leaned against Helle's chair and closed his eyes, his legs stretched out in front of him.

After a long silence, he opened his eyes once more and peered up at Helle. "What's the hold up?"

"Have some patience," she said sharply, scowling down at his upside-down face. "Give me a moment, all right? It's hard to translate this into English."

"Get _on_ with it," he sighed, closing his eyes once more.

"Shush."

Jasdero stayed obediently silent, swinging his legs eagerly. Chike raised the boat high in the air and then brought it down in a steep curve, smashing it into the carpet with a, "whooooooo…crassshhhh…." noise.

Helle cleared her throat. "'Years ago, there was a man called Athamas, and he had a wife called Nephele. They had two children - Phryxsus and his sister, Helle.'"

Jasdero clapped his hands joyfully and thrashed his legs more energetically. "Hee hee! Helle, Helle! That's you, hee!"

"Shut up," she replied automatically. "It's _not_ me, Jasdero."

"Keep reading," interrupted David crossly, tucking his hands behind his head.

"Oh, interested now, are we?" sneered Chike.

"Well, _you're_ still here, aren't you?" he answered snidely.

"Shh," said Jasdero earnestly, pressing a finger to his lips. "I wanna hear what happens, hee."

"Jasdero, the story's barely started," muttered Helle. "Anyway…" And she continued with her reading, regaling her three companions with the story of the sweet, merry Phryxsus and Helle and how their loving mother Nephele was cruelly taken from them, leaving them in the hands of their unkind father Athamas and his vindicative second wife Ino, who hatched a terrible plan to murder the two children.  
Jasdero was getting very into the story, banging both fists on the floor and booing every time Ino's name was mentioned. After a reproachful glare from Chike and David, he stopped, however, and fell silent once more, smiling happily.

"'Although Athamas was such a bad father, and cared not for Phryxsus and Helle, still their loving mother Nephele saw everything that happened, although they could not see her, because there was a cloud between them; and Nephele was determined that Athamas should not hurt Phryxsus."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," interrupted David, pulling at Helle's skirt. "I'm confused. Is Nephele dead, or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Chike. "What does it mean, 'there was a cloud between them'?"

"I don't know," snapped Helle, lowering the book. "It's hard to translate, all right? And things which sound okay in Greek sometimes come out a bit funny in English, so stop complaining. Anyway…'Nephele sent a ram of a golden fleece…' wait, that sounds odd…I mean, 'a golden-fleeced ram, to carry away her dear children. And one day, when Phryxsus and Helle were sitting in the grass (for they were too sad and unhappy to play) they saw the beautiful ram arrive into the field'."

"What. The. _Fuck?_ " interjected David, frowning in confusion. "A _golden sheep_? Why?"

"It's just how Greek myths are, okay?” said Helle irritably. “Do you want me to continue?"

"Yes, yes!" cried Jasdero happily. "I wanna know what happens to the sheep, hee!"

And Helle continued with how little Phryxsus and Helle became entranced by the beautiful golden ram, and gradually came to trust him, and climbed onto his back. "'And by-and-by the sheep rose up from the ground and began to fly. And when it first left the earth Phryxsus and Helle could not make out how it was, and Helle said: "O Phryxsus, I declare the sheep is beginning to fly!""

Instantly David sat up and opened his mouth, but Helle cut across him. "Yes, the sheep flies. All right? Deal with it."

"'And they began to get frightened and they begged the ram to go down again and put them upon the ground; but the ram turned his head round and looked so gently at them, that they were not frightened any more.'"

Jasdero's eyes widened as Helle continued with how the ram carried the siblings far away from their wicked parents, and how Athamas and Ino saw everything, and regretted not only allowing the children to escape, but also that the beautiful golden ram got away.

"'All this time the ram was flying on and on, higher and higher, with Phryxsus and Helle on its back. And Helle begun to be very tired, and she said to her brother that she could not hold on much longer, and Phryxsus said, "Dear Helle, please try and hold on: I dare say the ram will soon reach the place to which he wants to carry us, and then you will lie down and not feel so tired any more.""

"I don't like Phryxsus," announced Chike, yawning hugely. "He's weird and talks funny."

"'But Helle said, "Dearest Phryxsus, I will indeed try and hold fast as long as I can; but my arms are getting so weak that I am afraid that I shall not be able to for too much longer." And by-and-by she grew weaker, and said, "Dear Phryxsus, if I fall off you will not see Helle any more, but you must not forget her - you must always love her as much as she loved you; and then some day we shall live once more with our dear mother Nephele. Then Phryxsus said, "O Helle, try and hold a little longer still. I can never love anyone so much as I love you, but I want to live with you one the earth, I cannot bear to think of living without you." But it was of no use that Phryxsus spoke so kindly to his sister: so by-and-by poor Helle fell off just as they were passing over the sea and she fell into it and was drowned. And - " stop laughing!" shouted Helle suddenly, slamming the book into her knees.

David and Chike were spluttering helplessly into their hands, eyes screwed shut with mirth.

"S - sorry!" giggled Chike, wiping her eyes. "But…seriously, what the hell?"

"Such a freak, Helle!" laughed David. "'you will not see Helle any more! You must love her always!' Ah, my sides!"

Helle flushed furiously. "Shut your mouth! It's not _me_! It's a storybook character, for goodness' sakes! And she _dies_! How are you laughing at that?"

"C'mon Helle, she's a _human_ character," snorted Chike. They're all idiots anyway."

"And that's my favourite bit," added David happily, settling down once more. "I can imagine that it's _you_ being drowned instead of the storybook Helle."

"Ugh!" Helle placed the book on the arm of the chair and got to her feet, sticking her nose in the air. "I don't have to deal with this; I'm going!"

"Nooo!" cried Jasdero, throwing himself forwards and clinging tenaciously to her ankles. "I wanna hear what happens to the sheepie, hee! The sheepie!"

"Get off me!" she snapped, jiggling her foot in a fruitless attempt to dislodge him. "I'm going to bed."

"Read me the sheepie story!" he whimpered, pulling at her skirt.

"David can finish it." Helle clenched her fists and hunched her shoulders, full of indignant rage.

"Uh, hello? I can't read Greek, remember?" called David, raising one hand. "Geez."

"Finish the story," pleaded Jasdero. "I'll be ever so good and quiet, hee!"

"Oh, really?" she said acerbically. "And David will too, will he?"

"Yes, yes!" insisted Jasdero hopefully, sitting back and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Maybe," grunted David. "If I feel like it."

"That's not good enough," sniffed Helle prissily, turning on her heel with a swirl of skirts. "I'm going."

She flounced away across the thick velvety carpet, nose in the air. Jasdero lay on his back and waved his arms like an upturned beetle. "Noooooo! Noooooooooooooo! I want the storeeeee!"

Yawning, Chike ran a hand through her untidy hair and flopped onto her back in a manner imitative of Jasdero. "Ahh, shush, Jas. Read something in your room."

"But I want that story!" cried Jasdero, pointing childishly at the abandoned book on the arm of Helle's chair. "Read it to me, David!"

"I _can't_ , Jas," repeated David. "I can't read Greek."

At this, Jasdero began rolling around amongst his abandoned paper boats, crocodile tears running down his face. Groaning, Chike pressed a hand to her forehead. "God's sake Jasdero…I am _so_ tired, would you shut up?"

His sobs only increased in volume. David and Chike looked at each other, and then up at Helle, who had stopped with one hand on the doorknob, her back to the others. Chike heaved a huge sigh. "Helle…"

"What?" she snapped back, without turning around.

"C'mon and finish the story," said David.

"It'd mean a lot to Jasdero," said Chike in a hopeful tone.

"Oh, that's reason enough for me to do it, is it?" said Helle snootily, casting a haughty look over her shoulder at them.

"Ugh…" David sighed and pressed both hands to his temples, as though steeling himself to do something very unpleasant. "All right Helle…please?"

She folded her arms. "Well, well. Hmm…"

Jasdero sat up very quickly, his eyes miraculously dry. "Yes, yes, hee! Read it, read it!"

"…fine," growled Helle, unfolding her arms and storming back across the room. She dithered uncertainly beside the armchair for a moment, and then, snatching the book up once more, sat down heavily. "But _only_ this one story. Then I'm going to bed."

"Yaaaaaay!" cheered Jasdero, throwing great armfuls of paper boats into the air.

Helle gritted her teeth. "I can't believe you…oh well…'So Phryxsus was left alone on the ram's back. And the ram flew on, and on, and…"

________________________________________

Yawning, Tyki extinguished what was left of his burnt-out cigarette and stuck his hands lazily in his pockets as he sauntered down the corridor. "Road?"

There was no reply; the air was as dark and still as ever – save for a golden chink of light dancing across the floor up ahead. Perhaps someone had left the fireplace lit in the living room? He opened the door and leaned in, blinking in the gentle candlelight. "Road?"

She was not there. For a moment he though the enormous room was empty, but then he realised that four familiar figures were gathered around the bookcase that took up one entire wall. There was silence, apart from the crackling of the fire burning low, and David's gentle snoring. He was still sitting leaning against the armchair, and Jasdero was lying curled by his side, head in his brother's lap.  
As Tyki strolled over, he saw Chike lying next to the pair, spread-eagled in a most unladylike fashion as she slept heavily amongst the discarded crumpled paper boats. Helle was still in the armchair, legs tucked underneath her skirt and many petticoats, one elbow resting on the chair's armrest, the hand supporting her head as she slept.

Tyki smiled wryly as he approached and ran a hand through his curly hair. "Tough day, huh?"

Jasdero mumbled in his sleep and slid his thumb into his mouth, sucking contentedly. David frowned and mumbled slightly, rubbing one eye.

"Hm?" Tyki tore his gaze away from the sleeping teenagers, to where the book of Greek myths was lying abandoned on the floor, having slid out of Helle's grip once she'd fallen asleep. He stooped down and scooped it up, rifling through it curiously.

After a moment he snorted in disgust and tossed it aside, unable to understand any of the unknown Greek script. He placed one hand on his hip and considered Jasdevi, Chike and Helle for a moment, running the other hand over his chin.

Eventually he shrugged and turned away, pausing for a moment to stoke the fire. He cast one look back and could not restrain an amused, even affectionate, smile.

The door closed with a gentle click.


End file.
